Earring with hook for removably attaching a pendant ornament



y 1957 K. E. VAUGHN 2,797,561

EARRING wrm HOOK FOR REMOVABLY ATTACH'INGA PENDANT ORNAMENT Filed Aug. .16, 4955 INVENTOR.

. k J KENNETH .5. mum/A1 BY F/G. 6

ATTOZA/EYS United States Patent "ice 2,797,561 EAR RIN c WITH nook FOR hammers ATTACHING A PENDANT ORNAMENT- Kenneth E. Vaughn, Rusli'City, Minn. Application August 16, 1955', SerialNo. 528x03 1 Claim. or. 6313) This inventionrelates-to earrings, and more particularly hasrefereiiee to an earring so designed that an ornament depending fromthe same can be fre'e'lyinterchanged with any of a sub'stantial number of other" ornaments;

Another object of importance is to provide earrings of the type stated in which the interchange of the ornaments can be accomplished swiftly and easily without requiring removal of the earrings from the cars. This is particularly desirable in the case of individuals having pierced cars, since when ones ears are pierced, a change of earrings is accomplished with somewhat greater difiiculty than is true with unpierced ears.

Another object is to provide earrings as stated in which there is a permanently :attached ornament, so designed tion, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is aside elewational view of an earring formed in accordance with the present invention, with the pendant ornament retaining means in closed position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 wherein the retaining means is in open position to permit insertion or removal of a pendant ornament;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of spring means associated with said retaining means, said spring means being shown per se;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the earring adapted for use on pierced ears; and

Figure 6 is a view showing a plurality of differently shaped interchangeable pendant ornaments.

The illustrated device, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, comprises a 'U-shaped ear clasp, adapted to receive the lower part of the lobe of the ear, said clasp including a curved bight and straight, parallel legs inner and outer 12, 14 projecting upwardly from the opposite ends of the bight. The legs, though illustrated as straight in the present instance, could if desired be curved or extended in convergent relation, to fit comfortably about the ear lobe.

Adjacent the upper end of the inner leg 12, there is formed therein a transverse, threaded opening, in which is engaged the complementarily threaded stem 16 having at one end a knurled turning knob 18, and formed at its other end with a head 20 having a gentle rounded surface adapted to exert pressure against the adjacent surface of the ear lobe, to cause the ear lobe to be clamped by and between the head 20 and the upper end portion of the outer leg 14.

Fixedly secured to and projecting laterally outwardly from the outer side of the outer leg 14 intermediate the ends thereof is a flat lug 22 which is positioned between Patented July 2 7 2 ears 24 (see Figure 3), having registering openings receiving a hinge pin 26. The cars 24 are fixedly secured to the inner surface of and project laterally from a retaining plate 28, and said plate can be provided on the outer surface thereof with ornamental projections 30, 32 of any desired design.

A spring 34 (see Figure 4) has a loop intermediate its ends receiving the hinge pin, the spring being disposedin the space between the ears 24, at one side ofthe log 22,

and having its opposite ends extending upwardly in engagement with the leg 14 and plate 28 respectively. The spring is under tension tending to press the upper portion of the plate 28, that is, the portion disposed above the hinge axis ofthe plate outwardly from the leg 14, thus causing thelower portion of plate 28 to swing, normally, toward the-lower portion of the leg'14.

A hook 36 hasone end fixedly secured to the outer side of the lower part of the outer clasp leg 14, with the free end of the hook projecting upwardly in laterally outwardly spaced relation to leg 14. A pendant ornament 38 is apertured at its upper end, and connected rings 40, 42 are provided, ring 42 passing through the aperture of the pendant, and ring 40 being adapted to engage over the hook 36.

In use, the plate 28 is manually swung, against the restraint of the spring 34, to the open position of Figure 2, in which position the plate 28 has its lower end spaced, outwardly from the hook 36,-thus permitting a pendant ornament 38 to be engaged over the hook by slipping the ring 40 over the free end of the hook. The ornament will then swing freely from the intermediate portion of the hook, and the plate 28 is then released, so that the spring 34, tending to expand, will swing the lower end of the plate against the free end portion of the hook 36 as shown in Figure l. The spring maintains a continual pressure against the upper end of the plate 28, tending to hold the plate and hook in contact with one another, and thus, the ornament is securely retained in position upon the hook, and will not be accidentally lost while the earring is being worn.

In Figure 5 there is shown a modified form whenein the clasp 10a is provided with a fixed threaded stem 16a projecting laterally, outwardly from the upper end of the inner leg of the clasp. A concavo-oonvex disc 20a is threadedly engaged upon the stem 16a, and the construction shown is adapted for pierced ears, with the stem 16a adapted to extend through the ear lobe with the disc 20a threaded onto the stem, to clamp the earlobe so as to hold the stem against movement out of the opening provided therefor in the lobe. The form of Figure 5 is otherwise the same as that shown in Figures 1 to 4.

At its lower end, the clasp 10a has the hook 36a integral therewith, the pendant 38 being engaged over the hook 36a in the same manner as has been described with reference to Figure 1.

Referring now to Figure 6, there are here shown various pendants 38, 38a, 38b, 38c, 38a, 33c, 38 38g, having different ornamental shapes, all of which can be sold as part of a single set to be sold with a single pair of ear clasps formed either as shown in Figure 1 or in Figure 5.

It will be seen that although a single pair of earrings is sold, having perhaps eight dilferent pendants as part of its associated set, the wearer seemingly is possessed of eight different pairs of earrings. Difierent pendants can be selected for difierent occasions, or for difierent attire, and it will be understood that the pendants can be variously colored, so as to match or harmonize with dresses of diiferent colors. Further, the pendants can be so designed that some may be worn with informal attire, and others with fully formal attire, as described.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In an earring, a U-shaped clasp comprising a bight portion and inner and outer legs rising from said bight portion and having upper and lower ends, said outer leg having a laterally outward side, a lug fixed on the laterally retaining plate being positioned along the laterally outward side of the outer leg, said retaining plate having upper and lower ends and having ear means intermediate its ends pivoted on said lug, said ears spaced inwardly from the side edges of said plate a substantial distance, and spring means acting between said outer leg and the upper end of the retaining plate at points above said lug and said ear means, said spring means serving to yieldably engage the lower end of the retaining plate with the free end of the hook so as to retain said ornament on the hook, said retaining plate serving to conceal the said pivoted lug and ears, to provide a base for an ornamental design and to lock in position an ornament adapted to be removably mounted on said hook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 253,904 Wright Feb. 21, 1882 360,395 Straat Mar. 29, 1887 780,962 Perry Ian. 24, 1905 2,694,299 Gray Nov. 16, 1954 

